


His Excellency: Joshua Washington

by leolovesnico



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Library, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 09:05:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4954504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leolovesnico/pseuds/leolovesnico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris' new job at the library sucks, but luckily a mysterious visitor takes it upon himself to brighten Chris' day. The very person who would describe himself as: 'His Excellency'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	His Excellency: Joshua Washington

The city library definitely wasn't Christopher Sebastian's first choice of employment. Most of the other staff were kiss ass English majors who probably wanted to bone Shakespeare, the bathrooms stank perpetually, and the building was constantly full of old people. He didn't have a problem with the elderly before, but Christ. He'd never meet a group of people so pigheaded and closed-minded before. The pay was pretty shitty too, but it's not like Apple would be hiring him anytime soon.

The only redeeming quality the library had was Ashley Wilson.

Ashley was an ex-girlfriend he lost touch with, since he moved away to college two years before she did. When they got a chance of catch up, Ashley informed Chris that she had spent a year travelling the world, improving her writing skills, and another year with a job in the swimming pool, back in their home town. That was where she met her current girlfriend, Sam Marshall, who was apparently "the cutest lifeguard in the world". 

Chris genuinely felt happy for her, but couldn't deny that he was jealous. Not of Sam, he was happy to be friends with Ashley. Rather, he was jealous that Ashley seemed to have done so much more with her life than he had. She ran at it head on, and didn't look back.

 He, on the other hand, was in the final year of college for his degree in app development and then... Well... He had no idea. He was a planning kinda guy, and he had no plan. It was a small worry that lingered in the back of his mind, but he tried not to dwell on it too long. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

 

Now, Josh Washington, on the other hand - he was on a completely different boat. He wasn't going to wait for life present him with new tasks and opportunities, he created them for himself. A Yale dropout, he knew he was clever, but refused to apply himself to a field that didn't interest him in the slightest (Major in Business, minor in History), and turned towards his passion - film making. He couldn't deny that he was riding off the back of his family's fortune, but he did work hard to achieve his dream. He travelled back and forth across the country, finding the perfect filming locations for his movies, and with the added costs of cameras, lighting, costumes, and the salaries for his friend who agreed to act for him, his parents money was very much necessary. Except, he hadn't had much success so far. His first movie was a forgettable horror flick with a cliché plot line and cheap jump scares. 'The Hexes' he called it, although the few critics who reviewed it referred to it as 'It Vexes'. Josh was insanely proud. 

His second movie had very slightly more success - a sarcastic mockumentary of George Washington's presidency, set in modern times, starring himself. It got screened at a few indie film festivals, but a lot of racist fuckfaces weren't up for a black Washington. 

Anyway, coincidence had it that his latest movie had him in Papillon, California. Or rather, his lack of a latest movie. He had an idea - a small sapling in his mind that he hadn't yet watered. Another horror movie, 'Before Dawn'. He hadn't all the details worked out yet, but after talking with an old Algonquian man in a coffee shop near the Washington/British Columbia border, he came to learn more about First Nations' people's cultures and myths. Particularly the 'wendigo' - a half human creature driven to animalistic bloodlust by the consumption of human flesh. He built a slight foundation from this creature, and decided to tie in more Native mythology, and then he had the idea of using butterfly's colour meanings for foreshadowing- and where better to learn about butterflies than a town  _actually called 'butterfly'_. Sadly, Butterfly in Kentucky was a dead end, but Papillon was French, and closer to home, and therefore good enough for Josh.

That was where he met Chris. Well, perhaps it was more of an encounter. A happening upon? Well, a 'sighting' was perhaps the most accurate term.

He borrowed a book from the library called, "Butterflies:  A Guide To The Spirit World?", and when he took it up to the desk, well - that's when he saw Chris. He was slumped over the desk in an old Sailor Moon T-Shirt. (Whether this clothing choice was ironic or not, Josh didn't care. He couldn't decide which possibility he preferred) He looked defeated and worn out. Josh couldn't possibly see why - it seemed like a pretty easy job. Stamping books for a living didn't seem too bad, compared to like, being a garbage man or something. Plus, the red headed girl he worked with was pretty hot.

He walked towards the flaccid sack of meat, smirking. He had decided in his head already - he was going to make him smile. 

 

"Hey. Dude. Everything running smoothly in the ol' upstairs department?" A voice asked, chuckling at its own attempt at a joke.

"Mmmph." Chris groaned. He looked up to see a man with glowing green eyes standing above him with a gloating grin.

"Cheer up, it's not all bad." He drawled. "I heard Joan Rivers died a while ago."

Chris snorted. "Nice. Is there a book you want to take out, or?"

"Right." He held up a thick brown hardcover book with a picture of two cabbage butterflies circling a daisy near a river bank. "You ever read this? I'm trying to research butterflies."

"No." Chris said. "Are you sure you shouldn't look in the biology section? Or entomology?"

"Nah, this is what I need. I'm more into the spooky shit than the average width of an admiral butterfly's stinger."

"Butterflies don't have stingers."

"Whatever." He laughed. "Like I said - spooky shit."

"Yeah, butterflies are pretty fucking terrifying." Chris said dryly. The other man nodded sincerely.

"You have no idea, bro." He smirked.  A moment silence passed, the man stared at Chris, as if he were waiting for something.

"Are you gonna let me stamp your book, or not?" Chris asked.

"Yeah..." The book was dropped on to the desk, and stamped. The man looked at Chris, almost disappointed. "I guess I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, maybe."

The man walked towards the door, and looked back dramatically, "Hey, at least it's Friday. It's finally the weekend."

The corner of Chris' mouth quirked upwards. "Yeah, you're right." He admitted.

The man winked, and smiled triumphantly, before walking out.

Josh returned the following Monday, and exchanged, "Butterflies:  A Guide To The Spirit World?" For "The Intricacies Of Cannibalism, And The Out-tricacies Too". Chris looked at him inquisitively, but said nothing. Josh smiled at him mysteriously, hoping to entice him to ask a question, with no success. 

He returned again on Tuesday, and switched "The Intricacies Of Cannibalism, And The Out-tricacies Too" for "Medical Disasters for Dummies: Limbless Edition." They had a quick discussion about how fast Josh had read the previous book (he hadn't) and whether either of them had lost a limb before. (They hadn't) Josh tried to make a joke about a 'a limb he definitely couldn't live without', but it was lost on Chris, who promptly replied that the loss of any limb would be fatal in the wrong circumstances.

"Why do you need to know all this stuff?" Chris asked, skimming over the blurb of 'The Intricacies Of Cannibalism, And The Out-tricacies Too'. "I'm not really seeing how all this fits together."

"Hm?" The man tore his eyes away from Ashley. "Oh, I'm, uh. I'm a filmmaker. I'm making a movie. It's gonna be awesome." he said in a confident tone. He looked back at Ashley and nodded, like he was thinking about something, or making a plan. It grated on Chris' nerves. 

"What's it called?" He asked loudly. "Your movie, does it have name yet?

"Uh, yeah." He replied distractedly. He turned back to Chris and smirked, hesitating. "It's called, 'When is it appropriate to ask the cute librarian out on a date?'

Chris felt his heart drop.  _Of course._ "That's why you've been coming back here? Her name is Ashley. She has a girlfriend." He said sharply, trying not to let his disappointment show. The other man stared at him for a few seconds. He squinted at Chris, like he didn't understand what he had said. His mouth hung open just slightly, with evident disbelief. Chris wondered if he would throw a tantrum, like some Ivy League frat boy who found out his Dad's company wouldn't sponsor his football game this week. 

Instead, he laughed. He shook his head and laughed out loud. Chris watch him cautiously, this reaction was unexpected. "Seriously, Cochise?" He asked, sniggering. 

"Seriously." Chris confirmed, taken aback slightly. The other man shook his head more vigorously and smiled, before turning around, and walking out of the library, without his book. If he had been wearing a cape, Chris could imagine it billowing in the wind behind him as he left. With an exaggerated tug on the door, he was gone. 

On Wednesday, he didn't reappear. Chris found himself waiting for the strange man, who always seemed to be wearing plaid, he noticed. He found himself watching the heavy wooden door swing open, hoping that the boy with the laughing green eyes would be on the other side. Perhaps he was being too rude? Just a tad too snarky? This place didn't exactly compliment his mood, even at the best of times. Even when an attractive guy came in to talk with him about butterflies. or cannibalism, or whatever, he still felt sour and deflated inside. Perhaps, in another time - another place...

Josh returned to the library on Thursday, when Chris was nowhere to be seen. He already had his plan in mind. It was Plan B, since Plan A wasn't particularly successful - he had to up his game. A Grand Gesture. Sure, he could've made his intentions more clear after he crashed and burned with Plan A, but where would be the fun in that?

 

 

 

He hadn't meant for the game to go on this far. He had won on the first day, he succeeded in making the blond man smile, even if it was just a small smirk. But even so, one was not enough. Besides, one date wouldn't hurt. 

So here he was. Plan B. 

He strode towards the red headed girl confidently, although her back was turned. She was putting the crappy middle aged woman aimed romance novels in alphabetical order, reorganising the shelf. 

"Hey, uh, Ashley right?" He began, tapping her on the back. 

"Wh- Oh. Uh hi?" She stuttered, like he had shaken her awake.

"I'm Josh," he supplied, "We don't know each other, but... I wanted to ask you something."

Ashley looked him up and down hesitantly. "Okay," she said, biting her lip, "Shoot."

"Your coworker, the blond guy - I was wondering if-"

"You mean Chris?" Ashley asked, then her eyes lit up. "Oh my god! You're that guy! Butterfly guy!" She exclaimed laughing. 

"...Butterfly guy?"

 "Yeah! Chris has been talking about you non-stop for the past... Has it been a week? You're the film maker, taking out all the weird books, right?"

Josh felt his chest swell up with slight pride.  _Chris noticed him, at least._ "That's me. So, is he... Single? Or... Uh..."

"Yes!" Ashley said, nodding vigorously, "He's definitely single! Oh my God, this is adorable! You know, I almost thought you were going to ask me out for a second..." She admitted with a giggle.

"Yeah... Chris thought that too," Josh laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "That's why I wanted to ask you... Is there like a secret librarian code language?"

"W-What?"

"I mean, a cypher, or something? How do librarians secretly communicate? Can I hand him a pile of books, and the first letter of the 153rd word of each book spells out 'Wanna hang?' Something like that?"

"Um. No. We have nothing like that." Ashley said. "We use words."

"Seriously? There's nothing? Dammit." Josh grunted, "I'm starting to see why he doesn't like it here. That really sucks, dude."

"Well, I'm sorry. I wish I could help." Ashley sighed, turning back to the book shelf. Josh studied the books in her arms silently. "I mean, it's not like I can invent a secret code and inconspicuously teach it to Chris in less than two years."

"I think we can." Josh said, reaching for the book on top of Ashley's pile: 'Chris - Ties of Passion #1' by Sally Wentworth.

Josh and Ashley's eyes met, and they began to grin. "Okay," Ashley conceded, "I can help you with with this one, but we have to be quick - he'll be back from his lunch break in like ten minutes."

 

After a meagre lunch of a PB&J, a yogurt, and a bag of chips, Chris returned to the library to to see the butterfly guy standing at his register, with a toppling tower of books in his arms.

"Uh, hey! Chris, right? Mind checking these out for me?" He wheezed.

Chris looked over at Ashley's barren desk, and shrugged. "Sure..." He muttered, walking towards the other man. "You weren't in yesterday, were you?"

"Why? Did you miss me, cochise?" He laughed shakily, dropping the books down on the counter with a thump.

"You wish."Chris said, with a dry laugh. "And it's not cochise, it's..." His eyes dropped to the pile of books, and found the well groomed man on the cover of the first book. "...Chris."

"Ties of Passion - Volume One?" Josh asked innocently. 

"Yeah, it is Chris actually." Chris said, with a slight tone of suprise. "Weird." He lifted the book, and scanned the inside cover. Next in the pile, "Wanna Go Out" by Theresa Stern. Chris glanced at the other guy, who he had yet to learn the name of, was staring at his overly bright phone screen. He scanned the book. Next was, "Sometime Soon" by Debra Doxer. He looked back at the other man, who seemed to still be taking no notice of him. He lifted the next two, to confirm his suspicions: "There's Something I've Been Dying to Tell You", an autobiography by Lynda Bellingham, and a children's book entitled, "How Did You Get So Cute?" by Dr Ted Steliotes. Then: "Do You Understand What You Are Reading?" by Kenneth A. Pierce and Robert H. Miller, and "By the Grace of God, Blink Once for Yes" by Peyton Edwards. 

Finally, two books lay on the desk: "Yours Truly" by Kirsty Greenwood, and "His Excellency: George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis. 

"Dude, are you fucking with me?" Chris murmure, under his breath.  'George' looked up from his phone.

"Did you say something?" He asked, feigning innocence. 

"I think you said something, George." Chris said, feeling his face growing redder.  _Oh God._  "Are you asking me out, dude?"

"It's... Josh." He confessed, with a smirk. "And it depends - are you saying yes?" 

"Maybe I am,  _your excellency_."

"I'll pick you up after your shift, then?" Josh asked, walking backwards out of the library doors, shooting finger guns at Chris."

"'Definitely Maybe'."

"THAT'S AN OASIS ALBUM, YOU CHEATER."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! All the books in Josh's pile are real:  
> "Chris" by Sally Wentworth  
> "Wanna Go Out" by Theresa Stern  
> "Sometime Soon" by Debra Doxer  
> "There's Something I've Been Dying to Tell You" by Lynda Bellingham  
> "How Did You Get So Cute?" by Dr Ted Steliotes.  
> "Do You Understand What You Are Reading?" by Kenneth A. Pierce and Robert H. Miller  
> "By the Grace of God, Blink Once for Yes" by Peyton Edwards.  
> "Yours Truly" by Kirsty Greenwood  
> "His Excellency: George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this and might wanna check out my other climbing class fic! c:


End file.
